While a federal court in San Bernardino may never rule on the flood of arguments supporting Apple's defense of user security, observers—especially members of Congress—should pay close attention to a few themes that have emerged in the public debate.

EFF, ACLU, and Access Now released a statement in support of Apple and its stance on encryption last week. We called on the President to reject any attempt to force backdoors like the one the FBI was seeking to Apple’s operating system. We asked our communities to help by tweeting at the President.

Over three thousand people have joined us, sending a stream of tweets to the President.

Update [March 25, 2016]: Georgia failed to pass H.B. 93 by the end of the day Thursday, which means the bill is now dead.

H.B. 93 began with good intentions. Georgia legislators saw a need to protect privacy by regulating how law enforcement agencies use automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology and limiting how long police can store location data collected on everyday drivers.

Unfortunately, the version of the bill currently on the fast track to passage is rife with problems that would not only harm the public, but threaten security research and hinder law enforcement’s ability to ensure the integrity of ALPR systems. It could be voted upon by the Georgia Senate on Thursday, the last day for the legislature to pass bills.

A Joint Statement from Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Apple is engaged in a high-profile battle against a court order demanding it write, sign, and deploy custom computer code to defeat the security on an iPhone. As civil liberties groups committed to the freedom of thought that underpins a democratic society, this fight is our fight. It is the fight of every person who believes in a future where technology does not come at the cost of privacy or individual security and where there are reasonable safeguards on government power.